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The 6 Friends Every Mom Needs

You can read dozens of baby and child care books telling you what to expect from A to Z as a new parent.
But during the first few years of your child's life -- nothing will
help you get through the challenges and milestones like having a few good friends you can rely on.

Motherhood is all sorts of beautiful and rewarding -- but it can also
be very isolating. Sometimes you don't really remember who you were
before you acquired the "Mommy" label.

And that's why it's essential to have good friends you can turn to
who will come in and save the day when you're having one of those "what
the hell happened to my life" kinda moments.

And even though not all of our friends will understand certain
situations we're going through for various reasons, that's actually a good
thing. Different friends serve different purposes for helping us
navigate this new phase of our lives -- and each one of them is just as
important as the next.

Here are six types of friends every mom needs, whether she realizes it or not.

The childless friend -- This is the person you can
turn to when you want to let loose and have a little fun while talking
about something other than your child and whether or not he/she slept
well the night before. Drink a little wine. Enjoy a delicious meal. Or
go out on the town and dance the night away. When you want a night off
from being mom, she's your girl. She makes you feel like ... you.

The old friend -- She knows you better than you
know yourself, and she's known you for most of your adult life (if not
longer). She's been with you every step of the way from the time before
you had kids through your pregnancy. Now that you're a parent, you don't
have to sugarcoat anything for her. When you need to vent and want
someone who will listen without judgment -- turn to your old standby.

The experienced friend -- When trying to figure out
the whole mom thing, there's no better person to ask for advice than
someone who has already been through it. Whether it's a question about
potty training, ditching the pacifier, or getting rid of your child's
morning nap -- the mom who has already done those things will have some
great suggestions to help you out.

The mom who parents just like you -- We all tend to
gravitate toward a certain style of mothering, whether it be attachment
parenting, fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants parenting, or something in
between. Find a mom who does things your way, and the two of you can
lean on each other for support. Sometimes talking to someone who is
going through the same things and wants to handle challenges the same
way you do is a huge source of comfort.

The mom who parents nothing like you -- Sure, she
may drive you crazy from time to time and you won't always agree with
her methods. But there is much to be learned from this mom -- like how
to step out of your comfort zone and think outside of the box once in a
while.

The newbie -- Ahh, yes. The mom who just had a baby who thinks of you as her
experienced friend (see number three) will remind you that you're doing
a pretty great job so maybe you won't be so hard on yourself all of the
time. If nothing else, she'll remind you to take deep breaths, give
yourself a little more credit, and to keep the "this too shall pass"
mantra in the front of your mind at all times.

It's sad but I have two girlfriends and neither has been there for me (or their own kids for that matter) did I just type that out loud oh well it's true. So my most important friend so far has been my husband.

Man... I want an experienced friend! I was the first of all my friends to have kids. A lot of them still don't have any. I guess I just get to be the experienced friend to all of them! haha

My very best mommy friend has a daughter 6 months younger than my oldest. Our parenting styles are really similar but there are some big differences too. So I don't think she really falls into any of those categories. Don't know what I would do without her though!

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